Vestibule



Allg- 1965 A. A. LOSAK 3,200,546

' VESTIBULE Filed Jan. 28, 1963 2 s t s 1 INVENTOR ALBERT ll. LosAK QT TO l2 k! EYS United States Patent VESTIBULE Albert A. Losak, 316 Ridge Ave., Lakewood, NJ. Filed Jan. 28, 1963, Ser. No. 254,252 6 Claims. (Cl. 52-94) This invention relates to a shelter construction, and more particularly a vestibule construction for buildings.

It is conventional practice today to provide modern buildings and dwellings with a combination storm and screen door at the entrance or entrances thereto. Although this particular construction has many desirable features, it also has many undesirable ones. For example, in order for one to gain entrance or exit from a building, it is necessary that both -the screen or storm door and the main entrance must be opened at substantially the same time thereby providing a free path for flying insects, snow, rain, dust, and other undesirable substances to enter. Also, if the building is equipped with air conditioning, warm air is permitted to enter the building, or if the building-is provided with heat, undesirable cold air is permitted to enter. This obviously increases the cost of heating or cooling the building. If the above described conventional door construction isused in homes, it is necessary that for anyone in the home toobtain mail, milk, and other miscellaneous articles or packages left outside the entrance way to the home, must expose himself or herself to the elements or the weather and to the view ofthe public.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to entrance platforms and may be easily assembled for storage or shipment.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a novel vestibule structure which may be used over the entrance ways to basements so as to prevent the entrance of rain, snow, dirt, etc. into the basement.

It is still another object of the invention to provide means useful for housing pets and for the storage of garden implements, motorcycles, small automobiles, and other miscellaneous articles. Alternatively, the vestibule may have its various parts connected together by piano hinges so that it may be detached from a permanent building and transported to and erected at any desirable site Where it may be, used as a shelter for hunters, campers, fishermen, etc.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a structure which may be attached to a building to enclose erect and requires a minimum of maintenance.

provide an improved vestibule or entrance for dwellings so designed as to overcome the above mentioned disadvantages. I

Briefly, the invention comprises a vestibule or shelter that may be attached to the exterior structure of conventional buildings so as to provide an improved entrance way therefor. The vestibule includes an entrance door opening inwardly and spaced a suflicient distance from the main entrance door to the dwelling or building, whereby onemay enterthe vestibule without opening the main door of the building, close the vestibule door and then enter the building by means of its original entrance door. This clearly prevents outside air, flying insects and other undesirable substances from entering the building. It also provides a much safer entrance to the building since it is not necessary for one entering the building to step backward on a surface that may be covered with snow, sleet, mud, rain etc. This is because of the vestibule door opening inwardly while conventional storm doors open outwardly.

Accordingly, it is another object of the invention to provide an attachment for buildings which will eliminate accidents such as falling or slipping off the entrance platform. of the building due to snowy, icy, or slippery weather.

It is another object of the invention to provide a vestibule attachment for buildings which will reduce the cost of heating and air conditioning the building.

It is another object of the invention to provide an improved entrance way for buildings which will permit any one in the building to retrieve milk, mail, or any other packages left at the entrance thereof without being exposed to the elements or the public view.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a vestibule for buildings which will eliminate drafts through the entrance thereof and assist in maintaining the building clean, since anyone entering the building through the vestibule may remove his outer garments and clean his feet while in the vestibule.

It is another object of the invention to provide a vestibule for buildings which is adjustable to fit various sized The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective exploded view;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical cross sectional view taken substantially on the plane of line 33 of FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is an enlarged horizontal cross sectional view taken substantially on the plane of line 44 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged vertical cross sectional view taken substantially on the plane of line 5-5 of FIG. 3.

As illustrated in the drawings, the vestibule 10 is mounted on a conventional platform or patio 12 which projects outwardly from the side wall 14 of a conventional building structure 16. The platform 12 also projects outwardly from below the main entrance 18 of the building, and this entrance is provided with a conventional inwardly swinging main door 20. The platform 12 is also normally provided with one or more steps as indicated at 22. Of course, if the buildinglo is not provided with a conventional platform 12, a suitable platform must be constructed. V

The vestibule 10 includes a pair of side wall assemblies 24 and 26, a roof 28, a gable 3t and a door 82 suitably hinged on a door frame.

The side wall 26 normally extends vertically and includes a panel 34 having outwardly projecting upper and lower flanges 36 and 38 at each end thereof and an inwardly projecting flange 40 extending along its rear edge. Each of the flanges is provided with a plurality of spaced bores 42.

The side wall 26 further includes a panel 44 which is integrally connected to a front panel 46 extending at right angles to the panel 44by means of an arcuate corner 48. The upper edge'of the panel 44 is provided with an integral flange 50 projecting outwardly therefrom and a lower flange 52 which projects outwardly therefrom andalso extends around and is connected to the front panel 46 and corner 48. The height of the panel 44 is slightly less than the height of the panel 34 whereby panel 44 and flanges 50 and 52 slidably telescope within the flanges 36 and 38.

The side wall 24 comprises panels 54 and 56 which are of the same design as and mirror images of the panels 34, 44 and 46. However, the panel 56 differs from. the

panel 44 in that it is provided with a horizontally extending mail slot in the center thereof which is covered by a conventional mail slot cover 58, and is further provided with a rectangular opening 60 in the bottom thereof which is normally covered by a rectangular door 62 hinged at its upper edge to the panel 66 by means of a piano hinge'64.

To assemble the side walls 24 and 26 to the building 16, the panels 34 and 44 are slidably telescoped together as illustrated in FIG. 2, so that the front panel 46 is spaced a sufficient distance from the front of the platform 12. The flange 4G is then properly located in relation to the opening 18, and the panels are properly secured to the building and platform 12 by inserting bolts 66 or other suitable fastening means through the bores 42 in the flanges 40,33 and 52 and securing the bolts to the building and platform. The overlapping edges of the panels 34 and 44 are thensecured together by suitable fastening means as nut and bolt assemblies 68. The panels 54 and 56 comprising the side Wall 24 are then secured together and to the building and platform in a similar manner.

A door frame is secured to the adjacent edges of the front panels by conventional means, such as welding. The door frame comprises a pair of vertically extending hollow members 70 and 72 secured to the vertical free edges of the front panels and provided with flanges 74 and 76 which extend vertically and project toward one In use, the operator first opens the door 82 to enter the vestibule and then closes the door 82' before opening thedoor-20. As eXplained above, this prevents outside air, insects, and other undesirable materials from entering. the building. Mail maybe deposited into the vestibule through the mail slot, and 'milk and other articles may be deposited withinthe vestibule through-theopening 60.

The vestibule 10 .may also be used for enclosing entrances to basements or it may be attached to an imperforate wall of the building for use as a storage shed, or the back of the vestibule may be closed whereby it'could be used independently for camping out, For the latter use, the side walls of the vestibule would be composed another. A top member 78 of the same cross sectional shape as the members 70 and 72 extends between the upper ends of these members and is connected thereto by conventional means such as screws (not shown). The ends of the member 78 are notched so as to snugly fit the contour of the members 70 and 72 and their respective flanges. A member 78 is also provided with a flange 8% which is coplanar with the flanges 74 and 76.

A rectangular door 82 of conventional construction is mounted within the door frame and hinged to the vertical member 72 by conventional hinge means 84. The outer surface of the door abuts the flanges 74, 76,'and 80, and since, the door is hinged at its rear edge to the rear surface of the member 72 as shown in FIG. 4, the door opens inwardly as indicated by the arrow. As illustrated, the door 82 is of solid construction and provided with removable panels 86 of imperforate construction. However, the panels fldmay be replaced by screen panels for use in warm Weather. AdOOl 86 is provided also with a conventional operating handle 83 and lock means (not shown).

A gable is secured to and extends across the top of the door frame. The gable 30 includes'a flat plate 90 having an arcuate upper surface and a horizontal bottom edge. An arcuate flange 92 is integrally secured to the arcuate edged the plate and a horizontal flange 94 ext tends inwardly from the bottom edge of the plate. Theflange 94 is supported on the door frame top 78 and secured thereto by screws 96.

Theroof 28 includes an arcuate plate 98 of the same radius as the flange 92and having flanges 100 and 102 integrally formed with its side edges so that the flanges project inwardly towards one another and are coplanar.

The roof is installed by sliding the arcuate plate 98 over 7 the flange 92 so that the flanges 100 and 102 overlap the flanges 50 and of the side walls. The roof is pushed into abutting relationship with the wall surface 14 and secured in position by nut and bolt assemblies 104 which extend through aligned bores in the flanges 100 and 102 nected to the upperoutwardly extending flanges of said of sections hinged together so that the vestibule could be folded up and carried in a vehicle. Normally, the exterior of the vestibule would match the exterior surface of the building 16.,

The vestibule may be made of conventional inexpensive materials such as aluminum,.stainless steel, fiberglass, or plastic; i

Due to the simplicity of the structure, it may be easily installed and erected-by anyone of normal mechanical ability.

As this invention may be embodied in several formswithout departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, the present embodiment is therefore illustrative and not restrictive, since the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than by the,

description preceding them, and all, changes that fall withinthe metes and bounds of 'the claims or that form their functional as Well as conjointly cooperativeequivalents, are therefore intended to be'embraced by those claims.

I claim:

1. A portablestorm enclosure-for use in conjunction with a building opening comprising, a first side assembly consisting of a firstpanel member having upper and lower outwardly extending flanges and an inwardly extending rear flange, anda second panel member with up-' per andlower outwardly extending flanges, said'second member having a side panel section,aforward arcuate corner and a front panel section, said arcuate. corner integrally connecting said side panel section and said front ,panel section, a vertically extending door frame member permanently secured tothe free end of said front panel section, said second panel-member being slightly less in height than said first panel member so that it may be positioned alongside said first panel with its upper and lower flanges inwardly of the upper. and lower flanges of said first panel member, a second side assembly'constitut ing a mirror image of said first side assembly; a transversely extending door frame member having thesame cross section asjsaid'vertically extending door frame member positioned with its, ends connected to the top ends ofthe vertically extending door frame membersya gable 'connected to and extending across the top of the door frame including a flat plate having an arcuate upper surface and an arcuate flange integrallysecured thereto,'afroof having an arcuate body portion and two inwardly; extending flanges, said. roof positionedin contact with said gable with its flanges in'overlyingrelationship with andconside assemblies. 7

2; A portable storm enclosure. as defined'iniclaim 1, wherein one of said side wallsis provided with a slot for mail and an'opening below said slot whereby packages may be inserted into said vestibule'from the exteriorthereof, and a door piv'otally connected to said onewall and normally closing the last mentionedopening. 1

3.,A. portable storm enclosure as defined in claim 1, wherein a door is pivotally'connected to one of the door frame membersand in one position closes the opening between the two front panel sections.

4. A portable storm enclosure forum in; conjunction with a building opening comprising a first side assembly consisting of a first panel member having upper and lower outwardly extending flanges and an inwardly extending rear flange, and a second panel member with upper and lower outwardly extending flanges, said second member having a side panel section, a forward arcuate corner and a front panel section, said arcuate corner integrally connecting said side panel section and said front panel section, a vertically extending door frame member permanently secured to the free end of said front panel section, a second side assembly constituting a mirror image of said first side assembly; a transversely extending door frame member positioned with its ends connected to the top ends of the vertically extending door frame members; a gable connected to and extending across the top of the door frame; a roof having inwardly extending flanges, said roof positioned in contact with said gable with its flanges in overlying relationship with and connected to the upper outwardly flanges of said side assemblies.

5, A portable storm enclosure for use in conjunction with a building opening comprising a first side assembly including a panel member with upper and lower outwardly extending flanges, said member having a side panel section, a forward arcuate corner and a front panel section, said arcuate corner integrally connecting said side panel section and said front panel section, a vertically extending door frame member permanently secured to the free end of said front panel section, a second side assembly constituting a mirror image of said first side assembly; a transversely extending door frame member having the same cross section as said vertically extending door frame member positioned with its ends connected to the top ends of the vertically extending door frame members; a gable connected to and extending across the top of the door frame; a roof having two inwardly extending flanges, said roof positioned in contact with said gable with its flanges in overlying relationship with and connected against relative movement to-the upper outwardly extending flanges of said side assemblies.

6. A portable storm enclosure for use in conjunction with a building opening comprising a first side assembly consisting of a first panel member having upper and lower outwardly extending flanges and an inwardly extending rear flange, and a second panel member with upper and lower outwardly extending flanges, said second member having a side panel section, a forward arcuate corner and a front panel section, said arcuate corner integrally connecting said side panel section and said front panel section, a vertically extending door frame member permanently secured to the free end of said front panel section, said second panel member being slightly less in height than said first panel member so that it may be positioned alongside said first panel with its upper and lower flanges inwardly of the upper and lower flanges of said first panel member, a second side assembly constituting a mirror image of said first side assembly; a transversely extending door frame member positioned with its ends connected to the top ends of the vertically extending door frame members; a gable connected to and extending across the top of the door frame; a roof having two inwardly extending flanges, said roof positioned in contact with said gable with its flanges in overlying relationship 25 with and connected to the upper outwardly extending flanges of said side assemblies.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS RICHARD W. COOKE, JR., Primary Examiner. 

1. A PORTABLE STORM ENCLOSURE FOR USE IN CONJUNCTION WITH A BUILDING OPENING COMPRISING, A FIRST SIDE ASSEMBLY CONSISTING OF A FIRST PANEL MEMBER HAVING UPPER AND LOWER OUTWARDLY EXTENDING FLANGES AND AN INWARDLY EXTENDING REAR FLANGE, AND A SECOND PANEL MEMBER WITH UPPER AND LOWER OUTWARDLY EXTENDING FLANGES, SAID SECOND MEMBER HAVING A SIDE PANEL SECTION, A FORWARD ARCUATE CORNER AND A FRONT PANEL SECTION, SAID ARCUATE CORNER INTEGRALLY CONNECTING SAID SIDE PANEL SECTION AND SAID FRONT PANEL SECTION, A VERTICALLY EXTENDING DOOR FRAME MEMBER PERMANENTLY SECURED TO THE FREE END OF SAID FRONT PANEL SECTION, SAID SECOND PANEL MEMBER BEING SLIGHTLY LESS IN HEIGHT THAN SAID FIRST PANEL MEMBER SO THAT IT MAY BE POSITIONED ALONGSIDE SAID FIRST PANEL WITH IT UPPER AND LOWER FLANGES INWARDLY OF THE UPPER AND LOWER FLANGES OF SAID FIRST PANEL MEMBER, A SECOND SIDE ASSEMBLY CONSTITUTING A MIRROR IMAGE OF SAID FIRST SIDE ASSEMBLY; A TRANSVERSELY EXTENDING DOOR FRAME MEMBER HAVING THE SAME CROSS SECTION AS SAID VERTICALLY EXTENDING DOOR FRAME MEMBER POSITIONED WITH ITS ENDS CONNECTED TO THE TOP ENDS OF THE VERTICALLY EXTENDING DOOR FRAME MEMBERS; A GABLE CONNECTED TO AND EXTENDING ACROSS THE TOP OF THE DOOR FRAME INCLUDING A FLAT PLATE HAVING AN ARCUATE UPPER SURFACE AND AN ARCUATE FLANGE INTEGRALLY SECURED THERETO, A ROOF HAVING AN ARCUATE BODY PORTION AND TWO INWARDLY EXTENDING FLANGES, SAID ROOF POSITIONED IN CONTACT WITH SAID GABLE WITH ITS FLANGES IN OVERLYING RELATIONSHIP WITH AND CONNECTED TO THE UPPER OUTWARDLY EXTENDING FLANGES OF SAID SIDE ASSEMBLIES. 